


Consign Me Not to Darkness

by agoodtuckering



Series: My Original Works [1]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types, Original Work, Pathfinder (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Drama, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mystery, Other, This mess is my own, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2020-12-27 07:20:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21114908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agoodtuckering/pseuds/agoodtuckering
Summary: This is an epic adventure and fantasy tale that takes in an original homebrew D&D setting of mine. Expect fluff and happy stuff as well. It tells the story of a group of traveling companions who unknowingly stumble into the middle of something much, much larger than them. Will they be able to keep the darkness at bay, or will it triumph against them? This is very much a creepy, spooky Halloween-ish tale as well, and ninety percent of all events are dependent on the roll of the dice as it's written.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Everything about this story (i.e. the setting, characters, plot, and villains) is completely my own. It was used for a campaign that I had done sometime last year. I often play Game/Dungeon Master in games with friends. I even have a RPG on twitter, where people can bring their DnD/Pathfinder/etc characters and write stories with them. World-building is so much fun. I thought maybe I could expand upon that with a big story here on AO3 with my own characters, some of whom are not player characters but just ones that I’ve made up in the course of writing this story. Word of warning, this story will be updated as I have the muse to write it. But by the end, the entire world will be explained, including lore and mythos and all assortment of creatures seen throughout the adventures our characters here will go through. And, to be honest, I have some terrible plans to put them through hell. So please, sit back and enjoy the ride. Writing reviews means a lot to me as well! It keeps me writing and keeps a smile on my face as well. Love you guys. Thank you for reading this A/N.

The world in which our story takes place is named Dragyg. It is a dark place, with twisted and dark magic everywhere, and villains at every corner of every city. Many have fallen under their spell, lured in by the promise of riches and crowns, only to find themselves lost.

_ It isn't safe.  
_

Our characters will travel Prorath and its surrounding lands, a port and seaside city named Stonevale, the large, vast Wild Wood, and Cornaith (where the prestigious Elves dwell), and beyond. Where they go is up to them.

Prorath is a cold and snowy region, ruled by a myriad of Orc clans and avoided by most if at all possible. There are a few brave clans of various creatures that dwell at the outskirts but it's usually seen as wasteland, covered in ice and snow and dotted with mountains.

Stonevale is a huge kingdom. It's ruled over by a righteous King, and is a place filled with overflowing markets, trade, and good business. The port at the edge of the city is responsible for exporting rare, desirable goods. But, everything is not always what it may seem here…

The Wild Wood is dangerous and one must always be on their guard when they’re lost within it. Many a creature dwell within the old forest, chief among them being the Tree-kin.

The Tree-kin are not dangerous unless provoked or frightened, and with good reason. They’re wise, old creatures who value friendship above all else. Best to be on your guard, all the same.

And finally, we have Cornaith. It lies on the edge of the Old Woods. The pathway is hard to find at times but a doorway may appear to those who need it the most, or so says the legend. No one knows what truly lies behind its walls, for no one has ever ventured there and returned.

Our story begins after a massive revolt and uprising in Stonevale. Followers of a religious organization named the Monks of Azhkan were murdering innocents (all of whom were non-believers). After years of these systematic killings, the people rose up.

A great fire spread throughout the City of Stonevale and killed so many and destroyed much more, which some believe to be the work of the Old Gods. The Monks were all eventually imprisoned by the King, and put to death. The city has rebuilt itself and so begins a new era…

After the Great Fire, Stonevale was slowly rebuilt. Many had perished in the fire, but many had also survived and were incredibly grateful. They thanked the Old Gods for living, when so many others hadn't been so lucky.

The Old Gods, it was said, were descendant from Nature itself. From the roving hills and the running water and the tall, tall trees. They were as much a part of the world as the world itself. They were a part of Dragyg. But they disappeared slowly. No one knows why.

It was said that they saw the true nature of Man, Elf, Orc, Halfling, and all kinds, and were disappointed and saddened and left this world for another. _Or had they?_

It has also been said that they walk among the inhabitants of Dragyg, either in secret, unseen, or unacknowledged. No one really knows the truth.

After the Great Fire, people were seen to be moving out of the city. Small groups, nothing more. They went towards the icy regions of their continent, towards Prorath. Conflict with Orc-kind is nothing new. Encroaching on their territory will surely only makes things much worse.

Dragyg is special in that there is only but one continent. There are surrounding islands, all of which remain (for the most part) undiscovered and entirely unnamed. There are sea-bearing people, Viking-like, explorers and also nomadic, but others daren't explore the open oceans.

Our story begins here, with the Monks oppression at an end and people exploring to find new land. Wanting more, wanting something else, wanting to explore and go on adventures.

Is there something darker lurking in the shadows of Dragyg?

Something terrible and dark and powerful grows in the night. The Old Woods are plagued now by death, by Darkness, and Black Magic. But what is the cause? Or rather, _ who? _Who dares to go in search of the cause? The Old Gods won't be coming to the rescue this time. It’s time for our characters to find their inner courage.


	2. Plan of Action

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our characters are introduced.

They were sitting around a campfire. The fire was crackling, smoke curling around and rising through the trees and making its way skyward, and somewhere off in the distance an owl was cooing and howling. It was, for the most part, rather pleasant.   


An Elf was propped up against a rock, blanket laid out beneath him, and his smoking pipe in hand. Elegant as he was lying, the very moment he spoke up, some could hear the rather  _ inelegant  _ sarcasm seeping through his tone.   


_ “Excellent plan,”  _ he teased lightly. “Ruvaen, you’re a mewling hag sometimes, you know that? Why are you so incapable of earning a hard day’s work the proper way? Don’t  _ complain  _ about having to seduce pretty young things to take their gold and gems. It’s a win-win for you, I’d say.”   
  
Ruvaen Strongbane sat there, pretending to be affronted, with a hand placed on his chest. He laughed, though, and pulled his hood away from his face. Out of his pockets came a flurry of rather odd-shaped objects. “What do you care, Elris? It matters not, for the time being,  _ how  _ said items are acquired, only that we’ve found them and can continue on our journey… And if I have to complain once in a while, well… Just let me.”    


Andrathath, a tall, broad-shouldered berserker-like soldier, hailing from a small clan of tribesman more Viking-like than not, began to laugh. He set his drinking horn of ale down, swatting his friend, Garekk, on the shoulder. “Look at them,” he said with a chuckle. “Bickering like an old married couple. Isn’t it amusing?”

Garekk began to laugh, too, with how amused his friend was. He set his own ale down, popping the cork back into the pouch, and began to finish his salted pork and beans. He was a tall nobleman himself, who had since fallen upon hard times. Years prior, he had saved Andrathath’s life in a forgotten battle and they had become the best of friends and traveling mates since.   


“You two are ridiculous,” Garekk said with a chuckle, in-between bites of pork. “But Ruvaen is right. It doesn’t matter how the items were acquired, only that we have them now. We can go to Stonevale and trade them for what we need… And then we can visit the Wizard and get what we need from him. He has all the potions we’ll need to combat the poison. We aren’t dying, truthfully, but I’d still like to  _ make sure  _ we don’t get any worse. It’s what we get, anyway, for stealing that hexed gold from the goblins. Aye?”   


Elris sighed heavily then. He sat up, asking, “Where does the Wizard live, anyway? Where is his Tower?” He brought his tobacco pipe to his lips and waited for a response. It was Andrathath who spoke up.

“He lives on the outskirts of the Wild Wood,” the warrior said, a hand tiredly rubbing at his tattooed chest. He was a burly man, tall as well, and wore the traditional furs and cottons of his culture. He rarely ever wore any armor to speak of. His long hair was braided, hanging down his back. There was a scar running across his cheek, his bushy beard covering the majority of it. He moved his axe away from him to lie down across his blankets and continued on, “He rarely ever leaves his Tower now, since _ the Great Fire.  _ He sees no reason to leave. Humanity sickens him.”

There was silence for a time, before Garekk abruptly said, “We’ll be fine. Everything is going to be alright. Maybe while we’re in the Wild Woods, near Stonevale, we can attend the  _ Festival of Masks.  _ I’ve never been. In fact, I’m fairly sure that none of us have. It might be interesting.”   


Andrathath laughed, adding, “And fun. I’d love to get my hands on a woman that loves an adventurous man. It’s been too long since I’ve had an  _ enjoyable  _ night with a beautiful lass. And I’d like to see Elris drink his weight in mead  _ just this once.”  _ He tossed a look the Elf’s way, earning only a hard stare and a grunt in reply. 

_ Oh well,  _ he thought.  _ Maybe one day.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that it's started super slow but it'll pick up soon enough, I promise.


	3. Never a Dull Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things never go quite according to plan, do they?

After heading into Stonevale, Garekk and Andrathath went off on their own. They each wanted a hot meal and an even hotter bath, along with some rest. They decided to meet up with everyone again at the inn where they were staying, _the Tall Ogre Tavern.  
_

Elris and Ruvaen went off to _the Hollow Pegasus, _the local trade shop in the market, in the very center of Stonevale.

Stonevale itself was vast, huge, and often overwhelming. The city was almost sectioned off by peasants and rich-folk at opposite ends. In the middle, in the center, was a mixture of both and a great deal of trade. Markets lay everywhere. The port was often packed with individuals coming in from ships, whole crews and captains and slaves alike.

Stepping into the shop, Ruvaen let his hood fall away from his face. He felt safer inside now. He had short, chestnut-brown hair and spectacles with dark, tinted lenses. They hid his pale blue eyes, a dead giveaway for those who might recognize him. He had a medical condition that made him sensitive to sunlight. Even moonlight, at times. He often hid from the world, though. It was easier that way. But now, in the company of friends, he felt more at ease.

Smirking softly, Ruvaen wandered over towards the counter and deposited a bag down upon its surface. “Good afternoon,” he said, calling to Rharim, the shop’s owner. He was a tall man, with a well-trimmed, graying beard and a hearty belly laugh. “We’d like to do some trading,” Elris said. “We brought the items we promised you.”

Ruvaen began to sort through everything, from downright curious to most expensive, and Rharim began to jot them down in his book with a quill and ink. He tallied everything up, handing over what Ruvaen asked for. Some furs, potions, arcane and divine scrolls, and a few vials of Oil of Shillelagh, all items the Wizard would need from them.

Bia Woodscribe, a local bow and arrowsmith, was just on her way out of the door when she recognized Elris. Wandering over towards the two men, she asked, “Are you coming to the Festival in a few days’ time? I’d love to see you both there.”

Elris, for his own part, tried to look as friendly as possible, as difficult as it was for him. He smiled gently and replied, “Of course. We’ll be there. My traveling companions and I were discussing it last night. I wouldn’t miss the Festival of Masks for the world.”

A moment passed before Ruvaen interjected, clapping a friendly hand on Bia’s shoulder, “Yes, yes, he and his _ friends _were talking about it. We’re all going. Shall we see you there? I’m sure we will, at the Great Bonfire. It’s always a good time.”

Bia beamed and turned towards Ruvaen, rather charmed by his whimsical, happy nature. She gave him a little wink and said, “Make sure you all dress up, though. Wouldn’t want any spirits dragging you off to the Underworld before the night is through. Costumes are a must.”

Elris laughed at that, immediately amused. Before he could help himself, he said, “You needn’t worry about that, my lady. Whoever would be so unluckily that has decided to take Ruvaen would bring him right back. He never shuts his mouth for long enough…”

The Human merely sighed, tsked, and replied, “You jest. Elris, you don’t even need a costume for yourself. You’re scary enough as it is. They couldn’t mistake you for one of the living in a million years…”

Bia, laughing and amused at the exchange between both men, carried her supplies towards the door. Over her shoulder, she said, “You’re both silly. I hope I’ll see you there. Take care now. Don’t get into any trouble before then.”

She heard a playful, “We can’t promise anything but we’ll try,” from Ruvaen before the door to the shop closed. 

As they too left the shop, pouches and sacks over each of their shoulders, they noticed a few guards coming their way. “You there,” one of them said, “stop this instant.” And that was that. Off they ran, ducking in and out of alleyways and eventually losing the guards in a large crowd of people in the market.

“Can we _ ever _ go anywhere without you being wanted by some body of law enforcement?” Elris asked as they huffed and puffed, fighting to catch their breaths, and ascended the steps to _the Tall Ogre Tavern. _ His blonde hair was blowing in the breeze, eyes narrowed in his companion’s direction. He was, especially in this moment, unamused.

“Probably not, no,” Ruvaen replied, chuckling and slipping inside the warm, cozy tavern. “I can’t say I’m particularly sorry, though. I get my best exercise running away from the guards in practically every city we travel to, let’s be honest.” 


End file.
